The Friendship
by BlueRubyBeat
Summary: Every friendship has a beginning. Here, first year students listen to the tale of how Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff became the best of friends.


**The Friendship**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

 **AN:** Captain of the Tutshill Tornados for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition - Round 8

 **Prompt:** [Seeker, saku642734, Wasps] - Hufflepuffs and Slytherins being best friends

 **Word Count:** 1,577 words

 **~.~**

"Long ago, about a thousand years ago or so, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was created. The four founders, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor, all worked together to create the school. The first two founders were the best companions and the most important out of the four founders. Salazar Slytherin, the founder of the Slytherin house, was a pureblood with a long ancestry. He could speak Parseltongue, the language of the snakes. It was told that-"

"Excuse me!" A young boy in green and silver colors interrupted the story-teller. His hand was up in the air and he had an eager expression on his face.

The story-teller looked exasperated, "I just started the story. What question could you possibly have already?"

"Um…well…was Helga Hufflepuff in a relationship with Salazar Slytherin?" The kid asked.

"Wait what? What gives you that impression?" The story-teller inquired, confused at the sudden and weird question.

"Well you said that they were _companions_. That's a double meaning saying they were together but not married right?" The boy sounded sure of himself when he spoke this and the other children around him nodded in agreement.

"Man you have got to stop saying it like that. This is always the first question asked. And it's always a member from your house who asks this." An older student, decked out in black and yellow colors, told the story-teller.

The story-teller sighed in exasperation, putting a hand to his face. He did not understand why a first-year in his house always asked that question. One older member from the Slytherin house and the Hufflepuff house got together to give the first years of both houses the history of why both houses were friends. He sighed knowing that he would be interrupted many times before he finished his tale.

"No they were not in a relationship. They were friends _only_. No more, no less. Got it?" The older student questioned his audience and waited until they showed some sign of acknowledging that information before he continued with his tale.

"Anyways," he coughed. "Uh where was I?" The story-teller asked.

His friend replied, "You were just after stating that Slytherin could speak Parseltongue."

"Oh right," he nodded his head before starting his tale back up. "So it was told that since Slytherin could speak in snake tongue, he could walk up to any snake and easily charm the reptile. Snakes would willingly part with venom, fangs or any body part or fluid just because he asked. It's also the reason why people who speak Parseltongue were called snake charmers. Slytherin used these items he obtained from the snakes in his potions, which he was a master of. He and Helga Hufflepuff would often work together and show each other their crafts. Now-"

"Wait! What do you mean ' _show_ each other their crafts'? Like show _show_ or you know, _show_ show?" A first year asked, this time in black and yellow colors.

"What does that even mean?" The story-teller questioned the child.

His badger friend stifled a laugh behind his hand causing him to give him a searching look. It took him a few moments before realization dawned on him. Swiftly he turned to the student who interrupted him.

"Look. Whatever connotations you children have of Slytherin and Hufflepuff being together are wrong. They were just friends, the best of friends actually. And by their crafts, I meant Slytherin's potions skills and Hufflepuff's herbology skills. Now would you please be quiet so I can finish the story." The story-teller was getting annoyed with the interruptions and the constant referrals to Slytherin and Hufflepuff being in a romantic relationship.

"As I was saying. Helga Hufflepuff was the founder of the Hufflepuff house and a pureblood, though her ancestry was not written down too well so we don't know how far back her pureblood ancestry is. She was a master in herbology and food-related charms, most of those charms are still used to this very day in the Hogwarts kitchens. Since she was a master in herbology, she was quite adepts at potions and whichever potions she could not create Slytherin would help her. Herbology and potions went hand in hand, this is why Slytherin and Hufflepuff are such great friends. They were around each other a lot and conferred with each other regularly. Most of the day they would-"

"You can't say that!" A student yelled in disbelief.

"What?" The Slytherin student asked in confusion.

The first year continued, "You keep saying that Slytherin and Hufflepuff were not _together_ together, but just now you said that they were!"

The story-teller was very confused, as was his friend. "What do you mean? What makes you say that?"

"You said they 'conferred' with each other. That means they were doing naughty stuff together like mum and dad." Another first year elaborated, agreeing with the first.

The story-teller was nonplussed at this explanation and his Hufflepuff friend was shaking in silent laughter. The older Slytherin's eye twitched in annoyance and he looked ready to rage at the first years. Before he did anything he would regret, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself before addressing the first years.

"'Conferred' means 'to speak'. It does not mean anything naughty or whatever thoughts you children have come up with. Alright? If any of you suggest that Slytherin and Hufflepuff were in a romantic relationship one more time…" He glared at the students and left his threat hanging. All the young ones had wide eyes and tightly closed lips, they didn't want to anger him.

"Okay. Now let me continue. Slytherin and Hufflepuff would speak to each other many times of the day, talking about this potion or that, the uses of one ingredient or another. They talked about many things. Because their crafts were so intertwined, they met regularly and became fast friends even with their differences in views. Although Slytherin did not want muggleborn's in the school because of the witch hunts done by the muggles, Hufflepuff was fine with admitting them. Slytherin did not approve of this but because of his friendship with Hufflepuff he abided by her wishes. They acted like a married couple, but they were just very close friends that understood one another. No matter their background, no matter differences, Slytherin and Hufflepuff remained friends until their deaths. Both married other individuals and started families but they still had time for one another to convene at-"

"Aha! You did it again!" The Slytherin was interrupted for a fourth time by the children.

He sighed, "What is it this time?" He seemed like he had given up and knew what the child was going to ask. The Hufflepuff student beside him waited in a bated breath for the hilariousness that was going to ensue.

"So they convened on each other right?" The student who interrupted asked.

"I'm going to regret this." The story-teller whispered to himself before speaking louder for the children. "What do you think it means?"

"Well…it means that they met in secret behind closed doors like how my aunty and papa do all the time. They make weird sounds behind the doors and that means they are 'convening'."

The story-teller was shocked that a student would say something like that. He bet the student did not know what was exactly going behind those closed doors but he knew it meant that the two people were in a romantic relationship of sorts. The elder Hufflepuff couldn't contain his laughter this time and laughed so hard he fell out of his chair clutching his stomach. His laughter echoed off the walls of the room.

"Merlin! Seriously?! How can you? Why? Just why?" The elder Slytherin questioned to them. He was very frazzled and just couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it! For the last Merlin forsaken time! Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff were _not_ in a relationship whatsoever! They were only friends! Got it? _FRIENDS!_ " He glared at the students for a few moments before throwing his hands up in the air and stalked from the room. "I'm done!"

After he was gone the room was silent. The first years were wide-eyed in astonishment and his Hufflepuff friend got up from the floor wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

He coughed to get the attention of the children. "Now kids. The story that my best friend was telling you was about the deep friendship of Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. It was about that no matter what anyone threw at them, they would always remain friends. We wanted to tell you this so you would become friends. It doesn't matter if you're a pureblood or a muggleborn, we're all children of magic coming to Hogwarts to learn. Learn from Hufflepuff and Slytherin. We are all friends and will continue to be friends until our dying breath. So if you need help, you can go to students in either of our houses. We are all willing to help you and I want all of you to become great friends just like the founders of our houses were. Now any questions?"

One student raised their hand slowly. After gaining the go ahead to ask, she asked, "So Slytherin and Hufflepuff weren't in a romantic relationship?"

This got the elder Hufflepuff to go off in another round of laughter.

 **~.~**


End file.
